Such a high-pressure discharge lamp is disclosed, for example, in the laid-open specification DE 198 34 401 A1. This specification describes a high-pressure discharge lamp for a motor vehicle headlight, whose discharge vessel is provided on the inside or on the outside with transparent frosting. This frosting extends over the entire circumference of the axially symmetrical discharge vessel and over the entire length of the discharge vessel section which surrounds the discharge space arranged between the electrodes of the lamp. Owing to the frosting, the light emitted by the discharge arc is diffused such that flickering of the discharge arc, which is caused by, for example, vibrations, is not detected and displayed by the optical system of the headlight.
This frosting of nearly the entire surface of the discharge vessel has the disadvantage that the increased parasitic light content considerably reduces the luminous efficiency of the headlight.